Your account does not include highlighter on images.
Searches Highlighted on Image
National Sponsors
| February 9, 2011 Indian Valley Record |  |
|
©
Indian Valley Record. All rights reserved. Upgrade to access Premium Tools
PAGE 16 (16 of 32 available) PREVIOUS NEXT Jumbo Image Save To Scrapbook Set Notifiers PDF JPG
February 9, 2011 |
|
|
Website © 2025. All content copyrighted. Copyright Information Terms Of Use | Privacy Policy | Request Content Removal | About / FAQ | Get Acrobat Reader 
|
6B Wedqesday, Feb. 9,2011
Bulletin, Progressive, Record, Reporter
Mona Hill
Staff Writer
mhill@plumasnews.com
Being prepared is more
than a motto or life philoso-
phy, it takes some planning.
It doesn't require a return to
the "living off the land" phi-
losophy of the '60s or a sur-
vivalist mentality.
Disasters on the scale of
Hurricane Katrina or the
Haitian earthquake are high-
ly unlikely in Plumas Coun-
ty. However, wildfire evacua-
tions are an ever-present
threat every fire season.
According to Jerry Sipe,
Office of Emergency Services
director for Plumas County,
residents have faced some
sort of outage, natural cata-
strophe or manmade disaster
annually. From perpetual
rockslides in the Canyon to
heavy snows, floods,power
outages and wildfire, Plumas
County residents risk supply
shortages every year.
Representatives from coun-
ty government departments
and agencies from the Office
of Emergency Services to the
Red Cross were on hand at
the Preparedness Workshop
hosted by the Quincy ward of
the Church of Latter-day
Saints of Jesus Christ, Satur-
day, Jan. 29.
About 85 people from
Janesville to Chester attend-
ed the informational work-
shop on being prepared. The
workshop emphasized learn-
ing how to be prepared in an
emergency.
With a rotating schedule,
attendees moved through
three hour-long breakout ses-
sions: personal preparedness.
Internet and food storage.
In addition, the Red Cross,
Fire Safe Council, Search
and Rescue and Fire and
Sheriff's departments were
on hand to provide how-to in-
formation on equipment, ed-
ucation, planning and sup-
plies.
The basic underlying prin-
ciple of lJreparedness is the
72-hour pack. Officials esti-
mate that in a large-scale dis-
.... i..•i • •/ : •:•:: •,
aster, members of the public
need to be self-sustaining for
approximately 72 hours --
the time it takes for help to
begin to arrive.
The 72-hour packs, or "go-
bags," are as .individual as
their owners, containing
everything from clothes to
prescriptions. Every family
member should have her
own pack.
Packs should include, at a
minimum, a three-day supply
of food, water, hygiene items
and medications. Everything
can be kept in a backpack,
box, suitcase or even a num-
ber 10 tin can.
The more comprehensive
the pack, the more comfort-
able its owner will be. Ac-
companying this article is a
detailed checklist for devel-
oping individual packs.
Equally important is keep-
ing the pack handy. It doesn't
do any good if you left it at
home and you're stuck else-
where. Experts recommend
keeping a pack in the car, as
well as at home or work.
For long-term sustainabili-
ty, consider, augmenting
packs with camping equip-
ment.
In event of a services dis-
ruption, food and water stor-
age are key, whether short-
or long-term. If utilities are
affected, it may be some time
before water and electricity
are restored.
Every hurricane season,
television news stations run
footage of lines and empty
shelves at hardware and gro-
cery stores. Adequate prepa-
ration eliminates the need to
join those lines.
Some food storage propo-
nents suggest a two-year sup-
ply of basic foods, others con-
sider three months' provi-
sions sufficient. Regardless
of the length of time, stock
rotation is key to ensure
freshness and minimize
spoilage.
The rule of thumb is "to
store what you eat and eat
what you store."
For a hefty fee, companies
sell a year's supply of food. A
s mpler, more economical so-
lution is food preservation.
Taking advantage of sea-
sonal produce in the family
garden and canning, dehy-
drating or freezing it will eas-
ily fill the pantry and re-
duce the weekly grocery bill.
Food storage should em-
phasize the basic staples and
allow for the extras. Whether
the cocoa mix is homemade
or store bought, it's nice to
have some on hand.
Water is the absolute es-
sential. Everyone needs at
least two quarts per day
and that doesn't count food
preparation and hygiene us-
es. Add tending the vegetable
garden and livestock and it
adds up quickly.
Having food and water re-
quires knowing how to cook
without a kitchen stove or
even a camp stove. From
wildly inefficient campfires
to solar ovens, there are
many options available.
Choosing and knowing how
to use the equipment and
having tried and true recipes
prepared before an emer-
gency will eliminate stress
and frustration.
By the end of the work-
shop, one thing was clear to
participants. Knowledge is
key to being prepared.
Participants were urged to
learn first aid and the rudi-
ments of outdoor survival,
how to grow and preserve
food, how to communicate
with family and how to for-
mulate a plan.
The more individuals
know how to care for them-
selves and their families, the
less dependent they will be
on others.
See Pre p, page 7B
.:::: ,. " ;g. ~-.,
,..,~ /
A simple 72-hour emergency kit packs easily in a large zip-close plastic bag or a similar sized con-
tainer. Each family member should have his or her own kit, individualized to meet personal
needs and preferences. Common items include soap, shampoo, comb/brush, toothpaste and
toothbrush, water and a fire ignition "source. Photos by Mona Hill
....... ~ ~:::. • ........ : ..,, ................
Quincy Volunteer Fire Department sent its urban search and
rescue engine to the preparedness seminar Jan. 29.
Office of
Emergency t
Services
What OES does
Coordinates responding
public safety and victim
relief agencies:
Fire departments
Sheriff's office
Health
Red Cross
Other countyagencies
as necessary
Coordinates county
agency disaster response
planning and training
490 W. Main St., Quincy, CA 95971 • 530-283-4545
"Our ad in
the 2010
Plumas County
Visitors Guide
Works for us."
Ken George, Owner and Amanda DeSentz, Manager
"The Pizza Factory ad within the Discover Quincy Pages
works for us all year, but particularly well during the
summer months." We see lots of Pizza Factory's Awesome
coupon ads coming through our doors, so we know the
Plumas County Visitor Guide continues to work for us!
Ken George, Owner
• " Pizza Factory, Quincy
287 Lawrence Street, Quincy, CA • 283.0800 135 Main Street, Chester, CA • 258-3115 Gr~-~envllle, CA • 258-3115
i11::, Westwood PinePress DITOU .... I
" ..... I|14} Grand A~e Susanville CA • 25%5321
"~ P,O. Box 790, Westwood, CA ° 258-3115 133 W. Sierra (Hwy 70), Portola, CA ° 832-4646 .....
Illl
Acts as liaison with state
and federal agencies:
Federal Emergency
Management Agency
(FEMA)
California Emergency
Management Agency
(Cal EMA)
CalFire
California Highway
Patrol
Collects, coordinates-and
disseminates informa-
tion to the public (via re-
verse 911 system or
county webSite) and
news media outlets
(TV, radio, newspaper)
What OES does not do
"Together we are the SOLUTION"
Res pond to individual
incidents in first respon-
der or victim relief roles
ii!:i ' :: "-
• N ........ 1
Right now Friends of Plumas County Animal Shelter is giving a $25 voucher to
Ril~elp offset the cost to spay or neuter when you adopt a pet from the shelter! ~0
.$.
] Shelter hours are Monday, Wednesday & Friday 8om-5pm, closed l-2pm for lunch and [
I c osed weekends. P umas Anima s rvices charges a sm fee and,cen ees are per year. I
I " An officer will deliver a pet to the adopting party's veterinary of choice to have the animal ' I
l altered in completion of the adoption requirement. For more information, call 283-3673 or visit ~ I
I~@t@ couNyofplumas.com or peffinder.com. " . ' ,,.,.,% I
[ / vlIERIlC/luNV&LLEY I][OSPITAI ,, I
] We carry a wide selection ofpetfoodI° 'I
loan and Flea & Tick products t
I 283-4500 I
/ Alia & Lee R d. Quincy I/